Zaza (1923)

You really have to hand it to Gloria Swanson in this - she goes at it full tilt! "Zaza" is a music hall girl. A bit rough round the edges, but she's a decent sort of soul who falls for the womanising "Dufresne" (H.B. Warner) only to discover he is a true cad... The story is pretty predictable, but the journey is a hell of a ride - we even have a cracking cat fight between her and her rival "Florianne" (Mary Thurman) and there are a few quite enchanting scenes with the young "Cecille" (Helen Mack). There is plenty of humour - verging on the bawdy at times, and it is used effectively to demonstrate the best and worst in human nature. There's a lot of acting here, and though the plot doesn't challenge, it is still joy to watch.